Women Divers Hall of Fame (original) (raw)

The Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) is an international honor society. Its purpose is to honor the accomplishments of women divers,[3][4][5] and their contributions to various fields of underwater diving.[6][1] Full membership is restricted to nominees who have been found to meet the WDHOF's criteria, which include being an underwater diver and having contributed to diving in ways recognised as being significant.[7]

The WDHOF was founded in 1999 by a group of people and organizations, including the Underwater Society of America.[8][9] 72 women were inducted in 2000, followed by 26 new members the next year.[10]

The WDHOF awards many scholarships and training grants[11] to support women of "all ages who are pursuing careers involving diving"[12] including the J. Berman Memorial Grant for Sea Turtle Conservation, the Sherry Reed Memorial Undergraduate Marine Conservation Scholarship, the Laurel Clark Sea to Space Physiology Research Grant and the Amelia Behrens-Furniss Memorial Hardhat Dive Training Grant.[13][14][15]

Name

Dates

Induction

Details

Pamela Balash-Webber

1953-2020

2022

Co-founder of the Virgin Islands Diving Association, PADI course director, and promoter of ocean conservation

Carole Baldwin

2022

Scientist, author, and educator. An authority on marine biology, especially tropical-marine fishes, conservation and sustainable seafood

Sally Bauer

2011

Diving museum founder and historian, aquaculturist, author, and public speaker[17]

Amelia Behrens-Furniss

1895-1970

2012

Pioneering American deep sea diver

Wendy Benchley

2015

Marine conservation leader, governmental policy advocate, and spokesperson on shark conservation[18]

Bette Bolivar

1962-

2005

US Navy Diving and Salvage Officer; commanding Officer of USS Salvor, and of the Navy Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit[19]

Mary Bonnin

2001

First woman US Navy Master Diver; US Navy diving instructor; naval diving safety advocate[20]

Cathy Church

1945-

2000

American marine biologist, SCUBA diver, underwater photographer and educator

Eugenie Clark

1922-2015

2022

An American ichthyologist known for both her research on shark behaviour and her study of fish in the order Tetraodontiformes; a pioneer in the field of scuba diving for research purposes

Laurel B. Clark

1961-2003

2003

Clark did active duty training with the Diving Medicine Department at the United States Navy Experimental Diving Unit; completed Navy undersea medical officer training at the Naval Undersea Medical Institute in Groton, Connecticut, and diving medical officer training at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center; she dove with Navy divers and Naval Special Warfare Unit Two SEALs and performed many medical evacuations from US submarines; designated as a Naval Submarine Medical Officer and Diving Medical Officer

Céline Cousteau

1972-

2011

Annie Crawley

1968-

2010

American underwater photographer,[21] filmmaker, speaker, educator, and ocean advocate.[22] In 2007, she founded Dive Into Your Imagination, a multimedia ocean inspiration, entertainment, and education series for youth.[23]

Mandy-Rae Cruickshank

1974-

2009

Canadian World champion free-diver and record-holder

Sylvia Earle

1935-

2000

Oceanographer and marine biologist (former Chief Scientist at NOAA), author and consultant

Dottie Frazier

1922-2022

2000

American diver and dive shop owner; the first female scuba instructor and the first female dive shop owner.[24]

Honor Frost

1917-2010

2019

Pioneer in the field of underwater archaeology, who led Mediterranean archaeological investigations and was noted for her typology of stone anchors and skills in archaeological illustration

Szilvia Gogh

2016[25]

Hungarian diver and stunt performer, the youngest female PADI Course Director

Lotte Hass

1928-2015

2000

Austrian underwater diver, model and actress

Hillary Hauser

1944-

2000

American photojournalist and environmental activist with a focus on the oceansunderwater diving adventure, politics, and conservation

Mehgan Heaney-Grier

1977-

2000

American champion free-diver

Jill Heinerth

1965-

2000

Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer and film-maker

Denise Herzing

2021

Founder and Research Director of the Wild Dolphin Project[26]

Lauren Hutton

1943-

2007

Conservationist and scuba advocate

Darlene Iskra

1952-

2008

US Navy diving and salvage officer, first woman to command a commissioned US Navy ship, public speaker, and author

Karen Kohanowich

2001

Retired U.S. Naval officer and ocean research and technology program manager for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER)

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

2007

Dení Ramírez Macías

1978-

2021

Mexican marine biologist ocean scientist, and conservationist, and director of Whale Shark México (Tiburon Ballena Mexico)[27]

Andrea Marshall

2023

marine biologist known for wildlife conservation and research on large marine animals like manta rays & whale sharks; co-founder and a principal scientist of the Marine Megafauna Foundation

Simone Melchior-Cousteau[28]

1919-1990

2017

First woman scuba diver and aquanaut; wife and business partner of undersea explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Audrey Mestre

1974-2002

2002

French world record-setting freediver

Zale Parry

1933-

2000

American pioneer scuba diver, underwater photographer and actress

Penelope Powell

1904-1965

2023

Pioneering cave diver in 1935[29][30]

Lesley Rochat[31]

2010

South African marine and shark conservationist,[32] campaigner,[33] wildlife filmmaker, underwater photographer,[34][35] environmental writer,[36] author, speaker[37] and activist.[38] She founded the non-profit organisation AfriOceans Conservation Alliance

Dee Scarr

2000

American environmentalist, marine naturalist, and scuba diver

Claudia Serpieri

2002

Italian world-record technical diver and instructor

Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper

1963-

2007

American salvage officer. Projects include de-stranding the tanker Exxon Houston off the coast of Barbers Point, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, and developing the plan for the Peruvian Navy salvage of the Peruvian submarine

Tanya Streeter

1973-

2000

British-Caymanian-American world champion freediver

Kathryn Sullivan

1951-

2008

American, first woman to dive into the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench

Valerie Taylor

1935-

2000

Australian diver, underwater photographer and film maker

Donna Tobias

1952-2010

2001

United States Navy's first female deep sea diver

Ruth Turner

1914-2000

2001

Pioneering U.S. marine biologist and malacologist

Michele Westmorland

2011

American photographer, specializing in underwater photography

Susan Williams

1951-2018

2019

American marine biologist

Jill Yager[39]

2000

American zoologist and cave diver

Cristina Zenato[40]

1971-

2011

Shark protection consultant; TDI and NSS-CDS technical and full cave instructor; explorer, surveyor and mapper of cave systems; and ocean advocate